


feelings

by kaleidoscope_kat



Series: BokuAka Week 2020 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, BokuAka Week 2020, M/M, Pining, Secret Admirer, finally actually put kuroo here im, flower symbolism i think, i tried tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidoscope_kat/pseuds/kaleidoscope_kat
Summary: It is a Monday when the first flower arrives, a ribbon tied on its stem. It is pink, layers of petals. The middle is yellow, he realizes. It’s delicate, fragile. Yet, beautiful. He takes it gently, fingers caressing the petals as he finds a vase, filling it partially with water. The giver does not know it yet, and perhaps they will never know, but Keiji smiles that day.BokuAka Week 2020 | Day Three - florist/tattoo shop au
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: BokuAka Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860544
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35
Collections: Bokuaka Week 2020





	feelings

**Author's Note:**

> um!! thanks for reading this and sticking with me for the past hapseorifzdshith i dunno days, yeah!! another late update :PPP
> 
> apparently i'm not the best and managing my own time and other shit happened so--
> 
> here's to bullshitting things as well!! uwu  
> i know nothing about tattoo parlors nor flower shops but!! fortunately had help with flower meanings (along with google but shhh)  
> so thank you fox for that <33  
> (if you ever see this that is)
> 
> but here i am, i guess <33

It is a Monday when the first flower arrives, a ribbon tied on its stem. It is pink, layers of petals. The middle is yellow, he realizes. It’s delicate, fragile. Yet, beautiful. He takes it gently, fingers caressing the petals as he finds a vase, filling it partially with water. The giver does not know it yet, and perhaps they will never know, but Keiji smiles that day.

He is mistaken to think that it was only a one-time thing. One week passes, as he continues doing his job. Impeccably, as always. Face showing no traces of emotion when he is sketching out designs, or when he has the tattoo gun in hand, steady as he traces the pattern onto others.

Tattooing is a simple yet complicated process. Keiji finds beauty in such things, to have artwork permanently inked onto your skin. It is a pity, a pity indeed that not a lot of people find it fascinating. Sometimes, he seems eyes glancing in. Not curious eyes, but scornful eyes. He sees similar eyes on the street, disgusted by his artwork. Keiji does not mind, to each their own. (It is a lie to say however, that he is not affected by it.)

Down the street, there is a small shop. Blooming with business. Keiji does not lie, if he says that he sometimes finds himself jealous of such a shop. An area where no one seems to glance twice out of spite, but glance twice out of curiosity and amazement. Of appreciation, as if the shop truly belongs there. It is a flower shop, Keiji remembers, from traveling down the street and from what others say. It is rather new, but no one there ever fails to please their customers. To even think such a thing is a sin itself, as they say.

He frowns, a couple seconds later. Glancing in the direction once more, and then at the flower. It is a petty thing to do, but he tosses the flower into the trashcan soon enough. Keiji can not deal with such thoughts, such jealousy. Such reminders, that his business would never flourish as much as the shop down the street will.

Later however, he feels guilty as he tries to recreate the flower with pencil. Sketching things out, although nothing ever seems to look right. For fuck’s sake, he doesn’t even know the  _ name _ of such a flower, or how it got there the first place. It is then, when Keiji realizes that he hopes he’s not in too much trouble.

After all, if there is a customer who happens to visit and happens to be the giver of the flower, Keiji can not help but feel guilty. It was a beautiful flower after all, but he just let his jealousy take the best of him, crushing the flower underneath his fingertips, before sending it to the trash can.

Days later, he receives a simple bouquet. They are tied with a simple ribbon once more. Lots of tulips he thinks, one of the few flowers he can recognize without a second glance. They’re beautiful, he knows, as he finds himself sketching more and more ideas.

Perhaps, he thinks. This is no mistake. The first flower may have been one, but for two? The chances of a mistake are low. Once again, he takes out a simple vase, plopping them in. Keiji finds himself sharing a rare smile once more, each time he glances at those flowers.

Keiji allows his mind to wander for a moment, or maybe even two before returning to his work. The chances of someone looking in this tattoo shop, much less looking at him are low. He has rarely any regulars after all. It is just a small tattoo store, and despite what teenagers or whatever are going on these days, few people ever visit. A small part of him can blame the store downtown, the one that’s flourishing.

Or perhaps Keiji is just jealous once more. This time, he stops himself from tossing the tulips away as well. Still, he does not care for them enough, or as well as they should. In a couple days’ time, they wilt, petals falling into the water, wrinkling slightly.

Keiji feels as though he’s wilting along with them, mood going a bit dimmer as they disappear, disintegrate. As they become no more but wrinkly dry petals in the trash can, Keiji frowns once more.

The third time it happens, he gets sunflowers. Tied by a ribbon once more, they are beautiful. Millions of petals, bright in the otherwise desolate place. Keiji doesn’t know much about flower terminology, but he feels as though sunflowers mean something special, something rather positive.

That is the day he decides to stay awake in the shop for a bit longer, eyes peeled open for whomever it is. One of his co-workers, he realizes later, seems to frequent the flower shop down the street. He closes the shop after that, frustration bubbling up once more.

It is not his fault after all, that he finds the flower shop entertaining. This is a petty thought, this is something Keiji should only keep to himself. It does not hurt to have multiple interests after all, he should not limit what anyone does. Especially if that anyone is the “Provocation Expert” himself.

Pain-in-the-ass-Kuroo-san is surely going to make a big deal out of it, if he ever figures out the reason behind Keiji’s annoyance.

He does, soon enough. Evidently. For once, Keiji finds his eyes trailing towards the flower shop again, his gaze darkening for a moment, a passing thought on his mind. Kuroo notices that, and Keiji knows.

Kuroo sends him a shit-eating grin, Keiji glares at the other. He regrets it moments later, where Kuroo wiggles his eyebrows slightly, in the most annoying way possible as Keiji glances at the sunflowers once more.

The fourth time is a daisy. Not white like the usual ones Keiji sees, but a red one. A starling contrast. He has nothing against the color, and he thinks perhaps, it’s a trace of boldness. From what he remembers or from his limited knowledge, red has a connection to romance and lust.

Keiji doesn’t want to know what this means. If Kuroo’s the secret admirer or the person who’s sending him all these flowers, Keiji wants to bolt out of this store. The gesture is nice, but seriously, Kuroo of all people? He may seem attractive with his bedhead and his shit-eating grin, but he’s clearly not Keiji’s type. For anyone that knows him, he’s annoying. Very annoying.

Pain-in-the-ass-Kuroo-san proves himself to be useful later. With his shit-eating grin and his bedhead, he walks up to Keiji. Keiji, like usual, displays approximately no emotion on his face, except a slight frown when Kuroo appears.

“A secret admirer?” Kuroo asks, one eyebrow raised. Keiji knows for sure now, that Kuroo knows who the secret admirer is. His acting is good, but the smirk gives it all away. The smirk telling Keiji that Kuroo knows something he doesn’t, and that something is something Keiji desperately wants to know. In addition to that, the smirk piqued his curiosity.

“You know who it is,” Keiji says, cutting right to the chase, rolling his eyes as Kuroo seems to lean against the table, completely relaxed.

“Do I?” he asks, blinking slowly, arms crossed. Keiji is hit with the revelation that he really wants to punch Kuroo in the face right now.

His glare apparently, is not strong enough to elicit anything but another shit-eating grin. Keiji finds his own gaze traveling towards the flower shop again.

“Do it,” Kuroo says, confirming Keiji’s thoughts. He does know then, whatever Keiji's thinking.

“What’s it like there?” Keiji asks, eyes now turning back to Kuroo’s.

“Nice people, flowers are pretty. Customer service is great though, not gonna lie. Business as well, flourishing as always.”

Once more, Keiji is not stunned by the revelation that he really wants to punch Kuroo in the face. The comment is enough, although Keiji feels as though he might want to bide his time more.

The next batch of flowers are blue and lavender roses. That’s all it really takes, for Keiji to glance once more at the shop down the street, quickly asking Kuroo to mind the shop for a while. Kuroo is capable after all, creating intricate tattoos, much less designs as well as talking to customers. If anything, Keiji feels as though he actually attracts more customers than Keiji himself.

He finds his footsteps echoing down the street soon enough, each step heavier and heavier. Soon enough, Keiji’s faced with the glass door. There are flowers within, countless people. He feels his heartbeat accelerating, the thought of having to possibly engage and be in a room with so many strangers.

Keiji’s not a people person. Nor is he good at conversation, or any sort of idle chatter. With the crowd in the flower shop, he can not help but feel overwhelmed. He rubs his fingers with his thumb, something relatively calming before he heads in.

The first thing that greets him is the sound of a bell, jingling some sort of high tune. A cute touch perhaps, Keiji thinks, with the thousands or hundreds of flowers around the shop. There is already a long line in the shop, with countless people already perhaps choosing a pre-made bouquet or idly glancing at some flowers, perhaps even looking at the various names.

Unlike the rest of them, Keiji heads straight for the line, having absolutely no idea in his mind, no plan on whatever to do. Kuroo, for all his intelligence, manages to somehow leave out a lot. Or perhaps Keiji is overthinking once more.

Others eye him weirdly as they pass by. Keiji pretends not to notice, but he’s already rubbing his arms self consciously. The tattoos on there are pretty, some of his and Kuroo’s best works, although it’s probably no lie that he’s getting many suspicious second glances from them. His piercings don’t help either, neither does his choice of clothing.

For anyone else’s information, Keiji finds the color black comforting. It makes a statement after all, and he does not particularly feel like wearing any other color. His nails are fine too, he thinks. Fuck those who believe that black is too dark of a color, too much of a bad influence or whatever. If anything though, Keiji feels out of place here.

Another breath taken, as a few more minutes past. Lots of minutes actually, but they pass swiftly. It’s no lie that customer service here is good then, he thinks. He finds his gaze traveling forward, analyzing the store once more. Quiet, and observing like usual. The florist seems to be someone bright, smiles on his face as he talks to every customer. However, when his eyes reach Keiji’s, they seem to open and close, slowly, as if surprised or scared.

Keiji examines his hands once more, does he truly look that evil? If anything, Keiji’s the one who feels out of place here.

(His eyes are startling golden, like an owl’s or the sunflowers he received a couple days ago.)

When he reaches the front, the first words he hears is “Bro, what the fuck??” The florist seems to be distraught for whatever reason, freaking out. That’s a strange reaction, Keiji thinks. Are tattoos truly that odd?

“Did Kuroo send you here or something?” The florist, “Bokuto”, as his nametag says tilts his head to the side, his eyes looking at Keiji quizzically. He blinks a couple of times. That’s when Keiji realizes that he’s attractive, in the eccentric way. He will not have this though, Keiji does not know what he’s doing, but he will not allow himself to think such things.

“You know Pain-In-The-Ass-Kuroo-san?” Keiji asks, staring right at the florist, before glancing to the side moments later. He hopes he’s not showing much, and that he isn’t acting too strangely.

Bokuto chuckles at that, full-on laughs. “Dude what the fuck? I’ve never seen anyone call him that.” At the look of Keiji’s confused face, Bokuto seems to wave a hand, “Oh no no, continue calling him that. You’re gorgeous honestly.”

“P-pardon me?” Keiji’s surprised at this point. Compliments aren’t something he necessarily receives frequently, except not from someone who’s beautiful.

“G-great, I meant great. Not gorgeous, why would I say gorgeous I mean you’re gorgeous but I menat great. Great! You believe me right, Akaashi?”

A couple more moments pass, as Keiji feels a fresh wave of pink dust his cheeks, blinking slightly as he glances on his shirt. He doesn’t recall putting any name tag or anything of that sort on him.

“You’re the person who owns the tattoo parlor there, right?” Bokuto adds, finger pointing towards the direction up the street.

“I...er. Yes,” Keiji answers, completely confused.

“So… What’re you doing here?” the florist asks, Keiji feels as though he can detect a trace of nerves there.

“I received some flowers a while ago,” Keiji states, completely surprised that he’s not stuttering or anything of that sort, “Tied with a pink ribbon. I… Was wondering if you… Knew the giver or the meanings. It would truly be a pity after all, if they were spiteful flowers.”

“One zinnia, tulips, sunflowers and roses, right?” Bokuto shoots back, almost immediately. Keiji notices that his hands are slightly moving, tapping on the table incessantly.

Keiji is surprised that he knows, or has a general idea. There were tulips, sunflowers and roses. He doesn’t know about the first flower though. “If… Zinnia is some sort of reddish pinkish flower with countless layered petals and a yellowish middle, yes.” He cringes moments after, his description of things are terrible.

“Yeah, that sounds about right!” Bokuto answers, although Keiji feels as though the cheer in his voice is somewhat fake. He does not point it out however, Keiji does not dare to.

“Thinking of you, that’s the meaning of zinnia flowers,” Bokuto explains, a pause in his words, “a variety of tulips usually mean like, you have beautiful eyes. You do actually, to be honest. I don’t blame him.”

“I, er. Thank you,” Keiji states, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. He’s never once thought his eyes to be pretty, but here he is, “Uh… Who’s him?”

“It’s a  _ secret _ admirer,” Boktuo responds, emphasizing on the “secret” part, “I’m not supposed to tell you, that’s a violation of the secrecy area thing of the Bro Code.”

“O...Kay,” Keiji answers, pretending to understand something he doesn’t necessarily. He finds himself curious nonetheless, 

“Sunflowers mean well, admiration,” Bokuto continues, a light pink dusting his own cheeks. Keiji pretends not to notice, It is a pity actually, that it seems Bokuto already likes another. Keiji shakes that thought away, he himself already has a secret admirer, is that not enough?

“And… The blue and violet roses?” Keiji asks, heart thumping slightly. 

“Attaining the impossible, and love at first sight. I can’t blame him really,” Bokuto says once more, a soft smile on his face. Keiji finds his gaze, traveling to his lips, before closing his eyes. No, he will not have himself liking the florist, the owner of the street down from where his tattoo parlor is. He will not do such a thing.

“Do… You know who he is?” Keiji asks, eyes glancing at Bokuto once more, wishing for a name, for anything really. He is curious, but at the same time, he is afraid. Perhaps knowing the name may help him prepare for that one day when he might have to reject the other.

“Yeah. I know him most out of everyone,” Bokuto answers, before placing a finger on Keiji’s lips, shushing him, “It’s a secret, Akaashi. I can’t break it because of the Bro Code.”

“I see.” Keiji can not help his heart from fluttering slightly at the action, as Bokuto pulls away. He turns his way towards the door, muttering a quick “Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

“Oh! By the way, he also wanted you to have this,” Bokuto says, giving him a stem with countless blooming lavender petals. “It’s a clovenlip toadflax.”

Later, when Keiji gets back to his tattoo parlor, he finds some sort of number written on the ribbon, as well as a small message.

_ Clovenlip toadflax - please notice my feelings for you _

**Author's Note:**

> MAJOR MAJOR FUCKING THANKS TO FOX, dearest rival-- etc etc, literally. thank you so much fox, honestly, if you ever see this. (they cultured me. deadass cultured me with flower meanings. yes, this fic would not exist without them)  
> thANK YOU SO MUCH HONESTLy FOR LIKE, INSPIRATION AND EVERYTHING hperisofzdhstih
> 
> another thanks to like. jackie or something (i'm still. very touched. that you. reread and even read my writing much less think it's good in the first place.)
> 
> (betting that you'll say shut up or something if you read this. or like :fucku:
> 
> tsundere smh)
> 
> UH!! major thanks to, anyone in general. who. actually reads this. whatever this is, honestly <33  
> thank you for sticking by for these past days!! <33


End file.
